It's very hard to focus on studying, when I am thinking about chocolate, and Top Gun, and what to wear when I'm in Alaska, and why am I studying anyway, when I'm about to go away for 3 weeks, and and and and...

I'm also hungry, and I just had lunch, and Rob doesn't want to play squash because his girlfriend wants him to go see Hangover 3, so I'm sitting here with a notepad and the Fuel Planning section of the most boring manual in the world, and watching the Vicar of Dibley on youtube and occasionally glancing at Facebook to see whether there's anyone to chat to.  Go get 'em, you naughty preposition.

I've just had an internal job interview for the role of emergency procedures instructor, which I don't really want, because EPs are incredibly boring, and I only really applied for because I was bored and didn't know what else to do with my spare time.  Of course this meant that I felt free to tell them that I found the course demoralising, as it was death by powerpoint and engineered specifically for cabin crew so wasn't relevant for the pilot body at all.  This means that if I do get the job, they must be desperate, either that, or they appreciate my honesty, and they're an airline, so they won't appreciate my honesty.  Oh yeah, and I also told them that I didn't know why CASA insisted that we do the course, and I didn't know where CASA wrote the information - some CAO (Civil Aviation Order) somewhere?

Good luck to me.

Are you still reading?  Yes?  Well, you're a braver person (gender neutral, politically correct) than me.  I would have stopped by now.  I would be even more bored than I was when I was reading Chapter 6: Fuel Planning, and have probably stabbed myself in the face with a plastic spoon.

That reminds me, I'm hungry.

I shouldn't be, though, because I just ate lunch.  Left-over Chinese takeaway from last night, which really wasn't nice last night, and didn't improve with time.  Australian Chinese takeaway is a lot different than Irish Chinese takeaway, and, of course, neither is actually Chinese.  The Chinese probably just want someone to take it away...

It rained today.  There was a rainbow.  In fact, there were two rainbows.  I woke up early, and usually I don't bother opening my blinds because then I have to close them again in the evening, and instead of 2 actions, it's easier to do none, but today I did.  And there was a rainbow.  It was a full rainbow, and extremely bright, so I jumped up and went through to the living room where my illustrious housemate was having breakfast, and told her, thinking perhaps she would be interested to see something so beautiful.  I think her words were "that's nice" or something similar.  Predictable, anyway.

Did you know that an Irish ATR 72-500 can only travel 188nm in one hour with only one engine operative, and an Australian ATR 72-500 can travel a whole 201nm?

And what AM I going to wear while I'm in Alaska?

I have nothing to report. I'm in Canberra, so I don't have to deal with life at home (well that's not WHY I'm in Canberra), so life is easy, and goes on, and all that jazz.

Will write more when I have more to write !

The glasshouse mountains

The Glasshouse Mountains are something I've wanted to see since I arrived in Brisbane. Initially, I didn't have the proper footwear, and by the time I did (December) it was way too hot for me to consider climbing anything!

I've obviously seen the mountains driving up the coast, and also from the air, but never actually been on one.

Unfortunately, a couple of the mountains were 'closed' due to rockfalls, but Mt Ngungun boasted of a 2 hour hike and was 'open'. Class 4 out of 5, so promised to be a decent climb.

Either I'm a superhero, or the website lied, as it took just 20 minutes to get to the top - a decently steep climb, but not the hour's workout i was expecting. I guess I'm a superhero.

Only a few hundred feet above the surrounding terrain, the view was still breathtaking.

The mountains were apparently given their name by Captain Cook, who saw them from his ship and thought they looked like glasshouses. They're apparently volcanic, and 'inert' rather than 'extinct'. The area around them is incredibly flat, and as they are jaggedly steep, they stand out like... like... glasshouses... (actually I don't think they look remotely like glasshouses, so what drugs was Mr Cook on?)

The photos obviously don't really show the view. To the east, the clear blue of the Pacific Ocean, and then swinging to the west, cultivated fields of fruit trees, macadamia plantations and of course the bush itself.

I will stop rambling on now and simply add the photos...

Kangaroo Sighting Number Three!

Today, we drove to a place called Toorbul.  Toorbul is just north of Brisbane, inland from Bribie Island.  This is the sign that welcomed us:

It was true - lots and lots and lots and lots of kangaroos!!!

Including this one with a pretty big joey in her pouch!

CUUUTE!!! I don't know why Ozzies think of them as pests!

Although all the rest of the kangaroos were females and joeys, there was one massive loan male - look at his muscles! 

I even got a video of the kangaroo with the joey in her pouch!

This post was written on 01/05/13 - to prove that I did write stuff and my phone messed up, here it is!!

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What I'm doing today... Building a B17F (the Memphis Belle, to be precise), cooking a roast dinner (not actually cookes yet) and making plum jam - all made, success! No picture though... oh, and playing Squash. Here I go...

This post was written on 05/05/13 and didn't publish...

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Today (technically yesterday) was our 1 year anniversary of Oz BBQ, organised (location, anyway) by yours truly. We had lots of attendees; Irish, Spanish, Iranian, South African, English, Scottish, Dutch, Kiwis and one tag-along Australian (also courtesy of me). I've probably left some out - sorry!

It was more a get-together than a BBQ, as not much was cooked, but it was a gopd arvo/evening had by all (no one complained, anyway!)

We even had a possum come to visit, and Si gave it a burger bun. Bad choice, Si.

Canberra in Autumn...was almost like being at home... and a Tree for the family :)

I met a bird in Canberra, and it stayed still long enough to get an average shot, and then flew away. The trees are usually full of parrots, cockatoos, lorakeets and other gaudy birds whose names I don't know. In fact, I don't know the name of this bird either, so I shall call him Bob.

Today is day 6 of 6, and I'm tired, and I don't have any oomph. I made plans at the beginning of the week that now I'm pretty much forced to follow through, and my energy is missing. Perhaps a game of squash this afternoon will wake me upb

Sunday, I actually get a day off, and am supposedly surfing, but will see how the energy holds up...

Then it's off to Canberra again for another 3 days... hmm.

Now I must get back to work, as Ze Uzzer Person has returned from getting breakfast in the terminal, and probably expects me to do stuff.